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2026 September Slugfest: Scouting Notes

October 2, 2026
Cooper Woodward
Regional Scout, Operations Assistant

Our continued coverage of the fall circuit brings scouting notes on eight standouts from the September Slugfest in this edition. Regional Scout, Cooper Woodward, goes in-depth on these underclass follows, while you can find more scouting notes from our fall coverage at the links below.

Hoosier Knockout Series

Grand Park Fall Championships - Impact 2027s

Grand Park Fall Championships - Impact 2028s

Grand Park Fall Championships - Impact 2029s

Standouts

+ OF Kiptyn Kluesner, 2029, Jasper: The Super Sophomore Games alum shined this weekend. I was impressed with the discipline and bat to ball skills as he tallied (4) walks with zero strikeouts over (4) games. Kluesner maintains balance despite a bigger leg kick stride as his head remains quiet and he is able to recognize and make accurate swings / decisions. The left-handed outfield product had an extremely productive weekend with a final slash line of .500/.643/.700 1.343 OPS. A 6.7-runner, Kluesner has shown one of the better run tools in the class possessing the ability to cover substantial ground in the outfield with an 84mph arm to pair. Looking to be a big contributor to a storied Jasper program come spring time as he was as a freshman. 

+ RHP Cord Carl, 2030, Edgewood: A high-upside arm that I enjoyed watching this weekend. The 6-foot-3 200-pound frame is physical but still has some projections to it. Carl had an impressive presence while showing a heavy, riding, 4-seam fastball, a tight, 71-74 mph curveball with two-plane depth. There's obvious natural arm talent in an overall loose, athletic arm stroke that leaves future velocity jumps feeling like a safer bet. Carl will be a close follow as he shows the makings of a future-power arm. 

+ 1B/LHP Peyton Treece, 2029, Valparaiso: Treece had a very busy day Sunday appearing on the bump in all 3 games played while going 4-10 at the plate as well. The 6-foot-2 190-pound LHP/LHH had a combined line of 7.1IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, and 11SO over those 3 appearances. I was very impressed with the presence on the mound where Treece displays a controlled, athletic delivery with a fast moving arm. Treece showed a two-pitch mix in my look that included a ride/run 4S fastball that sat in the low-to-mid 80’s and worked up to 84 along with a tight, even plane slider in the low-to-mid 70’s. There’s tremendous upside with lots of room for added strength and physicality. 

+ RHP Braden Leins, 2029, DeKalb: One of the more breakout performances from the weekend belongs to DeKalb HS product, Braden Leins. The athletic, 6-foot, 164-pounder displayed both outlier stuff and a fierce competitive fire. Liens showed a loose, quick arm with late, explosive rotational patterns. The fastball profile was impressive, sitting in the low-to-mid 80’s, up to 84 multiple times, with huge riding properties from a 5-foot-1 release height. Off of the fastball, Liens provides a big gloveside breaking ball that possesses a true sweeper shape, and occasionally mixes in an armside fading change with considerable spin difference. Looks the part of a high follow with athletic patterns, arm talent, and pitch-ability that allows for present success. 

+ LHP Jameson Young, 2029, Mt. Vernon: A long, lean southpaw that shows considerable room for physical development within a high-waisted, 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame. Young possesses an intriguing repertoire with a true 4 pitch mix that starts with a straight riding 4-seam fastball that he is able to create swings-and-misses with, and an armside sinking 2-seam fastball generating weak, ground-ball contact, both sitting in the low 80’s. Young spun a tight, downer CB in the low 70’s, and flashed an armside fading CH at 76 with ability to kill big spin. He creates quite an uncomfortable at-bat by mixing up timing and working with quick tempo. There is some deception in the release, with a short, compact, semi-stab arm action that is hidden very well throughout the delivery. Young continues to look the part of a strong follow the 2029 class.

+ RHP/3B Noah Weber, 2029, Andrean: I really liked the athleticism in the delivery and pitchability I saw from the 6-foot, 170-pound right-handed arm this weekend. While the shapes don’t jump off the page, the command and feel for 3 distinct pitches allows for present success and leaves a path for upside as the arsenal takes shape. Weber relies heavily on a 4-seam fastball that touched 86 mph and sat in the low-to-mid 80’s. The fastball generates heavy riding traits due to his ability to generate high spin efficiency. He also runs a short, low spin changeup in the mid-70’s as well as a tighter, depthy curveball in the low-70’s. There is lots of rotational torque in the upper half and drive leg at footstrike with a short, compact arm action, working directly over the top. It is a consistently square landing showing body control down the mound. Should be an interesting follow if he is able to crack the 59ers rotation next spring.

+ RHP/1B Landon Craycraft, 2029, Heritage Christian: Despite having some control issues, Craycraft provided plenty of upside during this look. The 6-foot-8 200-pound prospect has a highly projectable frame with tons of room for added strength. Raw delivery with several moving parts to pair with a longer arm swing. Loose mover that is able to tap into impressive hip-to-shoulder separation to power quicker arm speed. The fastball is his best pitch, topping out at 87 twice, and mainly sitting 81-86 with a true outlier movement profile. Achieving between 16” and 19” of IVB with cut from a 6”9” release height, this unique fastball shape projects to be extremely effective with added velocity and improved command. Craycraft also mixed in a curveball with glove-side depth that worked at 74-76mph. Significant upside with continued polish. 

+ SS/RHP Joey Brooks, 2030, Yorktown: This youthful 2-way prospect impressed this past weekend both at the plate and on the hill. At the plate, Brooks sets up tall with a shorter load and a quick, compact stroke that works direct to the ball. Bat to ball skills were on display with zero K’s over (4) games. Brooks put up an impressive slash line of .600/.636/.700 (1.336 OPS) while I left even more impressed and bullish with what he can get to on the mound if all trends right. Simple, repeatable mechanics with a loose, compact arm stroke. Fastball worked up to 81 with a tighter slider sitting low-to-mid 70’s, and the most intriguing pitch of the bunch, a kick-change in the low-to-mid 70’s spinning around 800rpm that tunnels very well off of the other two offerings. While still extremely young, strength gains / maturation should lead to consistent development and there is a ton to like / dream on.